Our Founder and President was Peter Thompson who founded and was National Director of the Matthew Trust which specialises in the care of the mentally disordered offender. Peter has a business and media background, and has been involved in penal reform since 1958. He was the founder of the Pakenham/Thompson Committee (with the then Lord Pakenham, now The Earl of Longford and President of The Matthew Trust) which paved the way for the creation of NACRO (National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders).

Sadly, Peter died in 2003 after a long illness, and all of us wish to express our sympathy to his wife and family and our gratitude for his many contributions to the support of mental health survivors.